The impact of using forced decision-making strategies on post-decisional confidence

The impact of motivational and cognitive factors on post-decisional confidence (PDC) level was tested in two experiments. In the first experiment, subjects were first identified as having an intuitive preference toward using either a compensatory or a noncompensatory decision strategy and later on were forced to use either a compatible or a non-compatible strategy. PDC level decreased after using a noncompensatory strategy, and the decrease was higher when it was a noncompatible strategy. In a second experiment, subjects received feedback about their preferred strategy but were not later forced to use any specific strategy. Most subjects continued to utilize their preferred strategy and PDC level was not changed. Overall, intuitive PDC was not found to be sensitive to differences between compensatory and noncompensatory strategies. The result suggested that PDC is a function of an internal cost-benefit analysis which includes both cognitive and motivational factors.     

不同月龄小鼠行为训练与脑突触蛋白的相关性研究

不同年龄动物在各种行为实验中表现出学习记忆能力不同。一般地说,动物进入中年期以后,记忆保持力(retention)随年龄增长而下降。有关衰老性记忆障碍与脑内神经细胞变化的相关性已有大量观察记载,但中、幼年阶段的记忆力差异及其脑内突触机制     

儿童最初词汇的获得及其过程

本文追踪研究了两名儿童获得最初词汇的过程。结果表明:在儿童最初语音发展过程中,所发出的音节日益丰富、分化,产生了连续音节,随意性和指向性逐渐增强。儿童获得最初词汇的过程,是连续音节逐渐被有指向的词取代的过程。根据连续音节和有指向的词的比例及沟通作用的变化,儿童获得最初词汇的过程可分为各具特点的三个阶段。两名儿童的最初词汇在其词类构成和功能意义上具有很高的一致性。结合两名儿童之间的个别差异,本文还初步探讨影响儿童获得最初词汇的因素——言语中枢和言语器官的发展、认知的发展,并探讨它们之间可能存在的相互关系。     

年轻成年人昼夜体温“钟”的研究

年轻成年被试在现代人类觉醒期间“标准环境温度”(standard ambient tem-perature)(～20℃)和人体产生和散发热量保持最佳平衡状态的睡眠期间“热中性”(thermal neutrality)环境温度(～30℃)条件下。24-h昼夜测量体(口腔)和皮肤(中背,耳后,肘,手背,足背)温度。皮肤温度借助特制WMSX-01巡回检测温度仅远距离连续测温和自动打印。结果表明;(1)在“标准环境温度”(～20℃)和“热中性”环境温度[～30℃间可见四肢(特别足部)]皮肤温度呈现显著相位性倒转。(2)“非午睡组”和“午睡组”均可见在14:00左右呈现一个体温“钟”的“次要低谷”(Minor nadir),从而表示成年人的体温“钟”也可能具有“半24-h昼夜节律”(Circasemidian rhythm)的内源性特征。     

柯林斯语义层次网络模型的实验研究

应用语义验证法对柯林斯与奎利安的语义层次网络模型进行研究,结果表明:(1)柯林斯等人的语义层次网络模型不完全适用于人脑的信息加工;(2)被试对主语所指称客体的熟悉程度是决定语义验证时间的一个重要因素;(3)被试提取概念各属性的时间并非完全由属性储存的位置决定的。     

信度系数与观测分数和潜在特质的相关比

在经典真分数模型中,信度系数R=D(T)/D(X)。通常认为,信度系数与项目反应理论没有什么联系。事实上,信度系数恰好等于考生观测分数与潜在特质分数的非线性相关比η_(xθ)~2=1-MD(x|θ)/D(X),据此我们得出估计信度系数的一种新途径,同时讨论了x、θ的相关系数与相关比η_(xθ)~2的关系。     

Relative and absolute duration judgments under prospective and retrospective paradigms

A dual-process contingency model of short duration judgment is proposed and tested. The first process, or P(t), is a timer that uses cognitive capacity to keep track of units of time. If capacity is directed toward other tasks, P(t) will record fewer units and produce lower time judgments than when capacity is not directed toward other tasks. This timing process is most likely to affect performance when people know in advance (prospective judgments) that time judgments will be required and when absolute, rather than relative, judgments are made. The second process, or P(m), which is used for retrospective and relative judgments, judges duration on the basis of the number of remembered high priority events (HPEs) occurring during the interval. When this process is used, time judgments increase with the amount of HPEs that can be retrieved at the moment of judgment. Two experiments are reported. Tactual stimuli were presented, and nontemporal information processing load (simple or complex stimuli), type of judgment (absolute or relative), and judgment paradigm (prospective or retrospective)were manipulated. The results obtained support the proposed dual-process contingency model.     

A randomized clinical trial of inpatient family intervention: VI. Mediating variables and outcome

In a randomized clinical trial of Inpatient Family Intervention (IFI) for 169 inpatients with schizophrenia, affective disorder, and a residual group of other diagnoses, results suggested significant effects favoring IFI for patients and their families. The treatment effects were limited to females and to two diagnostic groups: chronic schizophrenia patients and the bipolar subgroup of affective disorders.     

Cynical Hostility: A Risk Factor in HIV-1 Infection?1

The aims of this study of HIV-1 positive and HIV-1 negative gay males without disease were (a) to determine whether cynical hostility in these groups (measured by the Cook-Medley Ho scale) is associated with psychosocial deficits that potentially could influence the course of HIV infection; and (b) to examine the construct validity of the sum of three Ho subsets in this sample. Correlational analyses on the full samples, and multivariate analyses of high- and low-hostility groups (formed using Ho scale cutoffs from previous research), examined person variables (traits, coping style), environmental variables (social support, stressors), and affect. In all domains other than stressors (traits, coping styles, social support, and affect), cynical hostility was associated with psychosocial deficits, with results generally stronger for the full Ho scale than for the subset sum. Results support previous research on psychosocial deficits of the cynically hostile, extend findings to HIV-infected gay males, and enlarge our understanding of the trait and coping style correlates of cynical hostility. Implications of these findings for HIV infection are discussed.     

Serial learning by rhesus monkeys: I. Acquisition and retention of multiple four-item lists.

Two rhesus monkeys were trained to learn eight 4-item lists, each composed of 4 different photographs. Lists were trained in successive phases: A, A----B, A----B----C, and A----B----C----D. After List 4, retention, as measured by the method of savings, was, on average, 66% (range: 44-84%). Indeed, all 4 lists could be recalled reliably during a single session with neither a decrement in accuracy nor an increase in the latency of responding to each item. Response latencies on a subset test employing all possible 2- and 3-item subsets of each 4-item list support the hypothesis that monkeys form linear representations of a list. Latencies to Item 1 of a subset varied directly with the position of that item in the original list. On List 1, latencies to Item 2 varied directly with the number of intervening items between Item 1 and Item 2 in the original list. During the acquisition of Lists 5-8, both Ss mastered the A----B and A----B----C phases of training in the minimum number of trials possible.